Traitor: A Draco Malfoy Story

twenty

I walked into the Slytherin common room with a smile on my face after having changed into a tank top and sweatpants and plopped down next to Jenna by the fire. We were one of a handful of students in the room, but most everyone had already headed upstairs to bed.

"Long time, no see," Jenna smirked, looking up from the essay she was writing for Potions. "Gotta say, I'm a little jealous you talked to Ethan before me."

"It wasn't like I sought him out," I said, offering an apologetic smile. "We literally ran into each other."

"Ready to tell me?"

I nodded, grateful that there was no scolding for the month I'd spent avoiding her and the others. I spilled about the duel, though leaving out the Cruiatus curse. I told her about Ethan and Malfoy's fight, burning the Weasley twins, the growth of the tattoo, and Harry's invitation to the DA. I left out the kiss. I couldn't put my finger on why I did, but I wasn't quite ready to tell her about that yet.

"Oh my god, you're joining the DA? Hell yeah," Jenna beamed, throwing her arms around me. "You got the location, right? Did anyone tell you?"

"No, we kind of skipped that part..." I trailed off. "We were sort of too busy discussing what's going on with me."

She laughed, nodding in understanding. "It's the Room of Requirement." At my puzzled gaze, she continued. "You walk down this one corridor, and you think of what kind of a room you need, and a door appears and the room is fully equipped. In this instance, you'd think of a place to practice magic with the DA, and the door should let you into the rest of us."

"I love magic," I smiled.

"Alright," she said with a sigh, capping her inkpot. "I finally finished this stupid essay and I am fucking exhausted. I'm gonna crash--you coming?"

"Not yet," I answered, pulling one of the blankets from the basket next to the couch over me. "I haven't just sat in the common room in a long time, I think I'm gonna do that for a little."

"Okay." She came over and hugged me, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "I missed you, Azalea. Glad you're back to being you."

I closed my eyes, a smile brightening my face as I felt the comforting heat of the dancing flames in the fireplace. The room smelled like home and it was cozy. I listened to the crackling wood and the growing silence as one by one, the other students went upstairs to their dorms.

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"Psst."

"Psssst!"

"For the love of Merlin, wake up!"

Someone was shaking my shoulder. I groaned, opening my eyes and immediately feeling the strain in my neck from the way I had fallen asleep, my hair sprawled over the armrest and my body curled into a ball on the couch. I looked around, dazed and disoriented, to see who had woken me from the best nap I'd had in a long time. And I immediately sighed in disappointment when my eyes met his piercing gray ones.

"Ugh, really?" I rubbed my eyes and rolled onto my back, stretching my legs. "What the hell do you want?"

He had been standing over me, blocking what little heat was coming from the dying embers in the fireplace, but now he lifted my legs as he sat on the couch, placing them over his lap and resting his hand on my shin. It was a gesture I hadn't expected and wasn't ready to handle right out of sleep.

"What are you--"

"Do you have to be so defensive all the time?" he asked, annoyance souring his voice.